Improvement in green-house rafters



F.A., LORD.

GREEN-HOUSE BATTER.

,r-atema Feb.1, 1876,-

No.173.0Z-9.

WITNESSES.

"PETERS, PNO D-UTKOGRAPHF-R. WASIQINGTON. D4 0,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIo A. LORD, oFIavINeToN-oN-HUDso NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GREEN-HOUSE RAFTERS.

Specification formingpart of Letters Patent No. 1 73,029, dated February1, 1876; application filed January 22, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIC A. LORD, of Irvington-on-Eludson, in thecounty of Westchester and State of New York, have invented I a new andvaluableImprovement in Green- House Rafters; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the same, reference being bad to theannexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to theletters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is arepresentation of a plan view of my rafter,and Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same.

This invention has relation to the construction of green-houses; and itconsists in the novel formation of a rafter rising vertically from thesill, and running, first, upon a sharp curve, and, secondly, upon an arcof longer radius to the ridge, said rafter being formed of two or morepieces jointed together and bolted at the joints, and edged inside andoutside with continuous strips nailedto the body of the rafter, andreaching on the inside from the ridge to the sill, and on the outsidefromthe ridge to the seat for the plate and gutter attachments, ashereinafter shown and described. v

Green-house rafters are made of comparatively thin stock,in order not toobstruct the light more than is absolutely necessary, while securing thenecessary rigidity and strength. For curvilinear roofs they are commonlyformed upon a continuous single are, reaching from the ridge to uprightsupporting-posts, which extend downward to the sill.

In the accompanying drawings, whereinI have illustrated my invention,the letters A A A designate the sections of which the rafter is formed.Each section is cut with the grain of the wood, and the three sectionsare jointed together with beveled abutting ends, as shown at a, andsecured by means of bolts 12 passing through the depth of therafter. Thelower section A, on its inner edge, is continuous with the curve of theother sections; but its outer edge is designed to stand vertical, asindicated at c, for the greater portion of its length. At the uppermostportion the first or sharp curve of the rafter begins on the outside,the notch or seat for the ventilator: plate and gutter-fastening beinglocated below the initial point of this curve, and at the top of thevertical portion, as shown at 0. At the lower end of the section A isformed the sill-tenon f. The sharp curve is continuous for the most partthrough the middle section 3 A, the main or long flat curve of theuppermost portion commencing in its upper portion,

and continuing throughout the'section A, at

the upper end of which is the ridge-tenon g. 0n the inner edge of therafter a continuous strip, h, of wood is nailed, reaching from the ridgeto the sill. This stripserves materially to strengthen the rafter, andprevents sagging. 0n the exterior edge a similar strip is nailed,reaching from the ridge to the plate seat or notch. The strip is not sowide as the edge of the rafter, and is centrally located, so

as to' leave an angular groove or rabbet on. each side. When thecurvilinear roof is not dated'May 18, 1869, numbered 90,240, has

heretofore been employed, and I therefore lay no claim to suchinvention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A green-house rafter consisting of the sections A A A, rising upwardvertically from the'sill,and extending to the ridge in a continuouscurve of two circles, ;having different radii, and secured together withbevel-joints and bolts, and provided with mortise-and: tenon joints atthe sill and ridge, and with-exterior and interior binding-strips h h,substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I elaim'the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

. FREDERIG A. LORD. Witnesses:

JoHN OOoNNoR, WM. A. BURNHAM.

